Friends of supermodel Beverly Johnson tell us she was prepared for legal retaliation by Bill Cosby after she publicly claimed the comic drugged and tried to rape her in the 1980s.

Cosby sued for defamation this week, but, “He hasn’t served her with papers. He gave a press release,” a friend told Page Six. “She expected this to happen. She didn’t seem upset [with the news], but I think she’s prepared to counter-sue.”

Johnson is one of over 50 women who claim Cosby drugged and assaulted them.

His suit calls Johnson’s “false allegations against Mr. Cosby [the] centerpiece of her attempted resurgence,” and alleges she is “maliciously publishing [these] false accusations in articles, interviews and television appearances.”

But Johnson’s pal called his claims “nonsense — the truth of the matter was she had put this in her book before [all the Cosby controversy] happened. It’s all overwhelming and who knows what’s going to happen? She has been very calm and wants to move on. She likes to move forward.”